


Naruto's Heritage

by Valentine20xx



Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi, Succubi & Incubi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-09-23 09:00:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20337523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valentine20xx/pseuds/Valentine20xx
Summary: When Naruto finds himself facing execution for the crime of 'Fighting Back', He is visited by his mother and sister, who explain that they got the wrong type of 'demon' when they called him the "Demon Brat". Well, when your mother is a succubus, what does that make you?





	1. Exceptions For Everyone But Him

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto is copyright Shonen Jump and Masashi Kishimoto, and I claim no ownership rights to the characters or setting, only to the story and narrative elements created by myself.
> 
> This story is an authorised reworking of Crossoverpairinglover's Succubus Queen Kushina story, which uses an extra option on how to save Naruto, and made a VERY good point on the clause of Rule 7, which I will cover in this note. The rest of the challenge was accepted as easily workable with the minimum of fuss.  
The change stems from a problem I have with the early narrative of Naruto and his sexual bias. For the vast majority of the story, Naruto's relationships were skewed, with Haku being one of the oddest situations in both how it was translated and how Kishimoto seemed to deal with them. Naruto clearly refers to Haku as 'cuter than Sakura', and their meeting ends with what is translated as the blunt statement "I'm a boy".  
This has become since the rallying cry which caused Crossoverpairinglover to categorically include Haku as Male. Add to this that Naruto is focused on returning Sasuke, plus the sheer amount of girls Naruto brushes off, make Naruto seem to be gay. Later, they seemed to notice this toxic bias, but made it seem like male-focused bisexuality, then the writers got a clue, and post-Shippuden, Naruto was most definitely straight, but the damage was done.  
I discussed with Crossoverpairinglover that Rule 7 was as blunt as the statement it stemmed from, and were able to get that rule struck off the list, with Haku being used primarily as a 'neutral' party who could deal with Kakashi, and not as a primary love interest.  
When italics are used, these are elements within a mindscape or where the words are thought instead of spoken. Some elements will be lifted from Vulpine by Saproneth and Time Braid by ShaperV, because they did a better job with them than I ever could.

The Elder Council of Konohagakure had been there for several generations, the seats hereditary, the only time new members were elected being when a member was too vocal and ended up falling afoul of the shinobi-dominated government with a discreet B or C Rank mission being called on them. Their power, in their eyes, hearkened back to when ninja were part of a lord's retinue, people sent ahead into enemy territory to deal with their enemies when they didn't want to get their own hands dirty.  
However, what they didn't think was _why_ that system had been consigned to the history books, and the fact that their whole stewardship was based on the same backroom deals and treachery that had caused many wars in the past, and that they'd need a strong military presence, which the current system they wanted dismantled gave in spades.  
"Did the Senju woman do as we expected over the loss of the last remaining loyal Uchiha?" The head of the council asked.  
"She did exactly as expected of the soft-hearted woman..." The spy stated, one of several they employed to work within the ninja government, the spy proud to be a True Ninja, "Rather than send ANBU with a termination order, she instead sent The Golden Year out with a retrieval order..."

The Golden Year, a derogatory nickname for the graduates in Naruto's year group, of which most of them were considered the most promising crop in years, equal possibly to the year that gave them people like their teachers. What the council considered them as a perfect example of why the ninja needed to be removed from power. They were far from ready for the outside world. None of them had gone out and assassinated someone... They were Sarutobi's toy soldiers!  
Then there was that big exhibition of their ninja, where a good third ended up dead, but no-one cared, because of the spectacle they had made ninja into. When they were in power, there would not be this crap with everything about the ninja being placed in public view. It would be like the ROOT, a sterling example of The True Ninja, in that absolutely no-one knew who was a member of ROOT, even the ninja government themselves.

"Excellent, Just as expected. And, obviously, the lynch pin in said mission would be the Kyuubi..." The head of the Council stated, "Forge a message from Lady Senju for someone to observe the mission and, if proof of the Kyuubi's chakra is found, terminate him immediately. Failure to comply will result in the usual disciplinary action..."  
These messages were part of their own lynch pin, where if a bijuu was even seen to use it's power, something far too many villages accepted as part of their soft-hearted laws on their own bijuu, they could bring them back to heel where they should be.  
"And then…?" One of the council members asked, as they prepared the mission for one of the jonin.  
"We still have them put to death. They know too much, and are expendable." The head of the council stated, "If they do not put him to death, we will ensure that he does not survive. Prepare a nice open and shut case of criminal activity. The embezzlement of the Kyuubi fund should be a good start, I believe we mismanaged it enough to make it look like someone swiped the lot,"  
He then paused, looking towards the council members whose role was to act as the Hokage's advisors apparently, but all they really did was pass on heavily sanitised versions of what was discussed here. She never got the full story, since she still surrounded herself with the trappings of previous Hokage.  
"I want you to bury her in paperwork. The more distracting and urgent sounding the better. _Make sure she can't attend any meetings for several weeks,_" He continued.  
"Any particular reason?" One of them asked.  
"Before she can stop us, we will have that kitsune in ninja attire ready to commit ritual seppuku after issuing an apology in front of the civilian population for how much he insulted our sacrifices by existing…" He explained, "Then we'll make a nice follow-up case declaring Tsunade unfit for her position,"  
The council all nodded in agreement, before breaking apart to go through with their assigned tasks.

Meanwhile, He went to sit in on the 'official' advisory meeting with the Hokage, mentally wishing he could wring her neck. Her predecessor was so old and weary, he happily delegated so much to his advisors. She was young enough, and had such an efficient assistant, that they needed to effectively create paperwork out of nowhere to stymie her. However, they had so many things that they could keep her busy with for long enough, he hoped, to make sure Naruto arrived back and was in his hands before she knew it. Then they'd deal with Gaara... Suna were their enemies, they couldn't just ignore what he did...  
"So, Hokage, how goes the rebuilding effort after the Chunin Exams were so terribly… interrupted?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer, having discussed the freeze on the funding himself several weeks ago. The funds for rebuilding were stymied to the point of being effectively frozen until Naruto was twisting a knife in his stomach. Once Naruto was dead, the sudden influx of 'new' money, along with his honeyed words, helping make it seem like Tsunade was the cause of the problems, which would be the lynchpin of the follow-up trial that would dispose of her, that she'd left the village destitute.  
"We are still having problems with financing the supply shipments..." The Hokage responded, "I know there should be enough money for the purpose, but it was signed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and bankers are notoriously suspicious and what they're asking of me is almost impossible,"  
She winced at the muttered dissent. He smirked. She had presented herself as ill-prepared and unable to do a simple task, using an excuse that was in terribly bad taste, even if it was the same excuse the bankers had given her for why, this week, they weren't paying up, asking for forms that didn't exist. He twisted the metaphorical knife harder, annoyed he couldn't twist a real knife in her gut.  
"How unfortunate for you..." He offered, "I'm sure that you will be able to do it before others have to deal with it in your stead… It would be a terrible legacy to leave, to be the Hokage who couldn't handle a simple financial dispute within her own village,"  
She winced even more noticeably. He knew what was going on. The Daimyo was asking why Konohagakure was focusing on paying it's ninja, while a simple repair order remained unpaid several weeks after it was filed. The Daimyo's confidence was shaken, and he had promised repercussions if it continued along that pattern. He didn't care about banks and frozen accounts. The meeting moved onto other subjects, but the Hokage's position had gone from it's early days on a bed of rock to one built on sand.  
Now he just needed to find something even more damning and she'd be dismissed, maybe even having to sit in front of the Daimyo, as he simply handed her a ceremonial sword. The even more humilating thing would be that she'd likely get the ultimate humiliation of being told not to bleed on the floor. Effectively, The daimyo was telling her that she brought so much shame upon herself, it would be questionable if she'd avoid a traitor's burial, with no day of mourning planned. It would be a worthy ending for a demon supporter. He might even persuade that sweet piece of ass that was her assistant that she needed to find a husband, even if he was noticeably older than her. Now that would be a nice reward for him, and she was a phenomenal ass-istant.

_Naruto woke up in confusion. Last he remembered, he'd passed out from chakra exhaustion and injuries caused by his fight with Sasuke, who'd activated the Cursed Seal, forcing him into using the Kyuubi to just survive long enough for it to burn itself out.  
__He looked to find he was in a luxuriously appointed home, a strange young woman sat with her daughter, who was clearly in his age range. He immediately thought about what usually happened when this occurred...  
_"_Look, If this is about something I did to you or your daughter, I didn't know you were some rich ambassador..." Naruto began, for the younger of the two women to break out into laughter.  
_"_You were right, Yumemi," The woman stated, her face having slightly cracked, "Actually, it's nothing to do with your pranks, I actually encourage you to do them more often. I'm actually your mother..."  
_"_Yeah right, My mother died when I was..." Naruto began.  
_"_I think it was roughly an hour or so old… I don't remember much of how long that fight took..." The woman mused, tapping a finger against her chin, "Anyway, I summoned you here about your true heritage..."  
__Yumemi stretched, for a pair of bat-like wings to unfold from behind her back.  
_"_What the hell?!" Naruto declared, pointing and gaping.  
_"_When the people of Konoha call you a demon, they got the wrong demon type..." Yumemi offered, "We're succubi."  
_"_I'll be in Konoha in a couple of days. I'll explain it to you then..." The woman stated, "For now, I offer you a suggestion… Trust the yuki-onna. I will just say one word… Kasumi… and tell you that it will tell you all you need to know."  
_"_I'll offer you another clue… 'He' lied." Yumemi stated, then the room seemed to fade into darkness..._

Naruto snapped up, wondering what 'Kasumi' and the simple comment of 'He lied' meant, only to see Kakashi stood over him, holding a cloth and one of his tanto. Naruto knew the technique he was about to do. It was used when the killing needed to be as discreet as possible, and leave little evidence. He'd stab the cloth, it would be burned, the blood leakage being minimal. It was a good way to assassinate without leaving evidence. He had no illusions about why Kakashi was stood over him specifically, but what confused him was why _he_ was the one targeted for elimination, not Sasuke. Sasuke _had_ been corrupted and turned by one of Konohagakure's enemies, not him!  
"Maa… Why did you have to wake up? I prefer to do things like this without needing to explain myself..." Kakashi stated, sighing, "Especially with you,"  
"What's wrong, Sensei?" Naruto asked, for Kakashi to wince. Yes, Naruto now was sure. Kakashi had been sent to kill him by someone, meaning that someone within the village had specifically ordered that he didn't come back alive.  
"Did you have to use that word?" Kakashi stated, before he slumped, "Look, I got a small fine for the fact you used the Kyuubi to subdue Haku..."  
_Haku…_ Naruto suddenly had an epiphany at that moment. Kasumi was a word in ancient Japanese meaning 'Mist', they'd said 'yuki-onna' and Yumemi had put undue stress on 'He'. There was only one time he'd encountered someone using ice techniques, and they were a Mist Nin… Why did he have to find out just before he died that Haku was a girl?! And a cute one at that!  
"Oh, and why was it that you were fined for an action he did in self-defence?" A familiar voice stated, Naruto recognising Haku's voice, having heard enough of it when he had been talking with hi... her when they first met, "Did you do something that was contrary to the mission orders?"  
Naruto looked to see what seemed to be a hunter nin approaching, except what stood out was that their costume was white with blue snowflakes, the mask's pattern being ice-blue cracks across most of ir's surface. _Now_ he knew why her mother had talked in the present tense. Due to the 'shattered' mask, a callback to how Naruto discovered her first secret, and the darkly hilarious fact she _still_ was dressing like a hunter nin, he knew it was Haku, and was oddly thankful to see her still alive. Maybe it was the fact that she _was_ cuter than Sakura, and, if the swell of the upper chest of the figure had anything to say about it, had a much better figure...  
Oh, one part of him knew exactly why it was good she was alive.  
"No, I failed to complete a secondary mission given to most of the ninja if they interact with Naruto on a regular basis..." Kakashi stated, "It is classified and the details sealed."  
"So, Let me get this straight, was there a similar request done with the boy over there after he was given what seems to be a corrupted empowerment seal?" Haku asked, Kakashi shaking his head after a brief pause. Both Naruto and Haku exchanged a look, especially since Kakashi had sealed the cloth and tanto back into the black scroll. Due to what Haku had said, Kakashi was having second thoughts about the legality of the mission. The cloth and tanto almost never got unsealed. S and A-Rank assassinations used them when they happened, because it disguised completely how they'd died. The department who gave out the cloth had total anonymity.  
"There was no need, it was deemed that he had avoided the corruptive influence..." Kakashi stated, Naruto and Haku sharing a look as if asking if he'd even _watched_ the fight, "Naruto has no way to counteract the reason for the request..."  
"Kakashi, Why were you preparing an assassin's blade for me?" Naruto asked, before he paused, looking shocked as he figured it out, "Seriously?"  
"Yes, If it is found you used any of it's chakra, I am to deem the amount, and if it goes beyond a certain level, you are to be put to death in order to ensure the safety of the village," Kakashi stated.  
"I bore witness to the battle. Due to the empowerment seal, corrupted or not, Naruto would be killed if he had not utilized at least one full tail of his power," Haku stated, "Unlike you, I do not dance around the fact he is a container. So, What's the restriction? What was considered a safe amount of power for Naruto to use in combat?"  
"He is only allowed half a tail, which was deemed necessary since it is part of his natural healing process, or a single tail in extreme circumstances," Kakashi stated, "Naruto used at least two, maybe even three tails of power in his fight against Sasuke, which is far beyond what would be considered safe levels."  
Naruto was horrified. Literally, he was being hobbled ridiculously, effectively told _not to use_ his bijuu, even for his protection against an S-Rank threat, by someone to 'ensure the safety of the village'. He partially wondered how someone would use 'half' a tail, and suddenly had a sinking feeling. No-one had told Gaara about this 'restriction', and he _always _used one full tail...  
"What about if he was against an S-Rank nuke-nin? Is that still one single tail?" Haku snapped, the temperature briefly dropping as the mask seemed to gain a few more cracks when Kakashi nodded, "So, You're telling me that some law has pretty much forbidden any tailed beast's container from using the majority of it's power, and if you find that there's a chance it has happened, you'll just finish the job for the nuke-nin!?"  
"It is the law..." Kakashi declared, only to get a hard slap from Haku.  
"It is illegal," She replied, "A ninja is meant to use any tool, to the limits of his own ability, to defend himself from threats... You're telling Naruto that, if someone comes at him ready to kill him, he has to use a thimbleful of chakra, even if they are using buckets..."  
"I know the book definition!" Kakashi snapped, "I had it drilled into me in the academy! But this is a special case..."  
"Let us hear this special case, that requires that you assassinate tailed beasts on order if they do their job to the best of their ability. Please remember. Most of them have more than one tail. and 'half' a tail isn't logistically possible. We will be accompanying you to Konoha as you _try_ to give a good reason. One tail minimum, with no more than a third casually, two-thirds under duress, or all their tails in extreme circumstances, that is acceptable..." Haku stated, "This is not,"  
Kakashi sighed. They had a lot to discuss...  
Even more annoyingly, She was right. In negotiation, it would probably become a third under duress, or two-thirds in extreme circumstances, but it would still cover Naruto neatly for this debacle. One Tail period would be like telling an Uchiha or Hyuuga to always have an eyepatch over one eye. It was unworkable.


	2. Fighting 'The Law' With The Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will state this, for the record. I only include things like the Elder Council and the rampant corruption due to the requirements of the challenge. Normally, if I have to use them, I try to make them into things like a citizen support group and other organisations which would form outside of the Hokage’s normal remit. In this case, I portray them as a bunch of corrupt old men who abuse their positions, being the advisers to the Hokage in various civic positions, with many of those employed in those roles being equally corrupt, and happy to claim anything to keep their power base.  
The law central to the opening chapters, forbidding any jinchuriki from actually using their bijuu in an effective way, is intentionally harsh, and reflects on how the fanon Civilian Council would kick Naruto under a carriage if it would make them feel better, and don’t care about what their actions will cause. The loopholes that the Council use when prosecuting Naruto I have as organised and ratified into law by the Council itself during the chaotic incident where there was no Hokage, shortly after Minato’s death, as their own way of exacting revenge on the Kyuubi for surviving when hundreds didn’t, and in the image of one of Konoha’s greatest heroes.  
Many of the laws are intended to be quietly taken off the books, due to ‘outside pressure’, once his head is rolling and the Kyuubi has been destroyed or put under the Council’s control. This chapter will show how much the treatment Naruto was given was ‘legal’, due to the Elders wanting a scapegoat who would always be a scapegoat, and never given any respect for what he did, by making anything he did that pulled him out of his lot in life be illegally earned, so they could arrest him and try him over The Law.
> 
> Oh yes, as a challenge, can you tell me what about Haku’s bloodline meant that she could avoid dying when Kakashi attacked her, and be found to be dead when she was still alive?  
A clue is this: How can you tell a body is dead to the touch?

At the same time as Haku was heading back with Kakashi, Tsunade had called an emergency meeting of her advisers, her expression furious.

“I recently got a message from the new Kage of Suna, Gaara of the Sands, about, and I quote, ‘A request for him to return to Konohagakure for exceeding restrictions on the safe use of a bijuu within the Konohagakure boundaries’… I did not know of restrictions… Especially ones that apply to literally every single bijuu!”

“It was a law passed in order to deal with the nature of the death of the Fourth Hokage,” The leader of the advisory board stated, “We came to a decision that any act where a bijuu can be confirmed to have drawn upon the power of more than half a tail of chakra against us or our allies, and a hard restriction of one tail of chakra in any situation, the jinchuriki must be put to death to ensure that they do not begin to draw on any more tails, and create a situation similar to the rampage which destroyed the village,”

Tsunade blinked owlishly. They’d just basically stated, on no uncertain terms, if there was any confirmed action where if a jinchuriki used their bijuu _AT ALL_, Konohagakure would, using the Kyuubi as an example situation, declare that the jinchuriki be put to death for the ‘safety’ of all parties, meaning that whatever brought them to use more than the restriction… would still have been successful in dealing a fatal blow to them, which rendered the jinchuriki literally defenceless, since a single tail, from what she knew of it, was not much better than a high genin or low chunin power level.

“So, there’s only a minor provision for self-defence provisions and protective purposes, the single tail,” Tsunade stated, the advisors nodding, “I also note a filing done which states, ‘Gaara will not be held responsible for his ‘sand armour’ being seemingly powered by his bijuu’s chakra, since it falls under the half-tail limitation, but may be held responsible for any times where excessive force was used’...”

“We cannot leave them completely helpless...” He replied, Tsunade glaring at him at the almost comically ridiculous notion he put forward, that instinctive use of a bijuu's abilities was covered, but actual combat use would be likely considered excessive. She wasn’t done, not by a long shot. She knew exactly what they were planning on sticking Gaara with. When his bijuu went insane due to Orochimaru, which had it use all the power it could...

“Also, the language of the law… It states ‘A Bijuu’ can be confirmed… It only refers to the jinchuriki as needing to be put to death, otherwise, the language always refers to them as the bijuu,” Tsunade continued, “Meaning in cases where the jinchuriki is disabled, by genjutsu or other technique, they are still breaking the law, since it doesn’t actually apply to them!”

“The jinchuriki channels the power of their tailed beast. If the Bijuu attempts to channel more power than is strictly necessary through their jinchuriki, for all we know, they could be attempting to escape, which would put the onus on the jinchuriki to deal with the problem urgently,” The man tried. Yep, they were using specific wording to get Gaara, who was literally unconscious, put to death for the rampage he didn't even cause.

“I am not willing to consider Gaara in breach of the law to such a severe degree, due to the fact that he only HAS one tail, and was happy to make a signed statement that his bijuu is clinically insane, and he was not mentally in control when it attacked, and has offered a more than generous payment of compensation, which immediately went into rebuilding the south wall...” Tsunade stated. The group were furious and how she’d defanged their law. The reason it was so restrictive was to ensure _none_ of the bijuu could fight, until they had found a way to make them into exactly what they saw them as…

Weapons of Mass Destruction, to be deployed into a place you wanted destroyed, then let loose. After that, the law would be softened, purely since they'd have their attack dog, and it would do what they wanted.

“That is not what the law states!” One of his loyal supporters stated, “It is stated that there can be _no other choice_ except the immediate death of the jinchuriki, to ensure the bijuu is not able to harm anyone else. We already had to fine Kakashi for putting Sasuke Uchiha in harm’s way when Naruto fought…”

“Haku, a refugee from Snow Country who ended up in Mist Country,” One of the others stated.

“OK, Haku during the Wave mission using his bijuu. We were willing to forego the death sentence since it was hard to confirm if he had exceeded a single tail,” The first one stated. Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. They’d been avoiding it, but she could see it. She could see what they weren’t saying. They had been dancing round the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, where a formerly loyal ally of the village had become corrupted by an S-Rank seal technique that far exceeded, in potential power, what Naruto was ‘permitted’ to bring to bear. He’d kill him if he kept to this law…

"Is there a concession to tell the jinchuriki about the nature of this law, to avoid... accidental breaches?" Tsunade asked.

"You expect a dog to understand when you give them orders," The head adviser declared, "If the Jinchuriki do not understand that they are meant to keep the bijuu sealed _at all times_, and allow it to corrupt them, we have no other choice..."

Oh, that was even worse. The law was specifically crafted in a way that he didn’t even know about it. He used his tails freely with no visible reason to not do so, not knowing that, out of sight, his sensei was fined. And that, when he got back, having likely, yet again, exceeded the restrictions...

“Now, I need to check something. Due to how he went missing, Sasuke was never struck off the ninja register of Konoha...” Tsunade stated, “He left too quickly and the mission was hastily set up, so he is still on the active roster, yes?”

“That is true...” came the response, exactly as she expected, “Therefore, until we can confirm he has gone nuke-nin, He would not be an exception to the rule...”

“So, if Naruto was attacked by an improperly sealed Sasuke, when it was shown that his cursed seal gives him power equivalent to a two or three tailed beast...” Tsunade stated, watching the nods, “Would I be right in thinking that, if Naruto was to use equal force against Sasuke, he’d be put to death upon returning to Konoha for using ‘excessive force against us or our allies’? Effectively, he would be killed for completing the mission parameters?!?”

“It's unfortunate, but he would. Due to the haste in transcribing the mission, this situation has come to be. We wouldn’t have, personally, sent genin and chunin to retrieve such a valuable asset, but you and your predecessor left us light on jounin or higher ranked ninja suitable for the mission,” Her head advisor stated, “Thankfully, We highly doubt that it will come to that, He is far from effective enough as a ninja to be more than an annoyance for Sasuke. If it does come to that, however… The law is absolute...”

And that clinched it. They effectively stated that they were using Sasuke to assassinate him, and, if he came back alive, they’d finish the job, as per their version of The Law. She had the law books to check over, the full law books, to find out about these ‘new laws’. They were far too heavy-handed, and were designed specifically, if she read it right, to effectively have the jinchuriki be stigmatized and put to death for natural self-defence. If these laws spread further than Konohagakure, they would end up causing the bijuu to fall into the hands of nuke-nin, as the jinchuriki were forced to use minimum force against an opponent out to capture or kill them…

And it was known that S-Rank ninja, who all could mop the floor with someone like Gaara, were specifically targetting the bijuu… They’d just dropped all nine bijuu into their enemy’s hands with their abject stupidity, declaring that, if a bijuu used any force, they’d just let the enemy win.

Kakashi scowled mentally. Normally, when a nuke-nin was brought in after capture, they were taken to Torture And Interrogation, checked for potential to go nuke-nin again, then put to death if there was even the slightest chance they’d continue to be a nuke-nin. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t gentle, but it was how Kakashi had been brought up to understand the nature of a traitor to the village. They had only one choice. To spend many months in T&I’s most secure facility, or to be publicly executed as a traitor deserved.

But, what he got this time was completely insane in his eyes. The expected group of ANBU were there, Kakashi already suspicious since all of them were unfamiliar, and one group took Naruto aside and headed towards where he’d be stripped of anything that made him human, before he’d be paraded out and not even given the dignity of seppuku. Meanwhile, the other group took Sasuke with haste towards the village hospital, where he’d get the best medical care that those bastards could afford, followed by an announcement the Last Uchiha had been recovered.

He’d just seen someone who should have been going to the Hokage for debriefing, followed by some bed rest and a good hot meal, sent off to be questioned about his actions during that mission, and likely put to death due to the accursed laws, while someone who had pretty much ignored the laws and needed questioning about his actions during and after the Chunin Exams… Oh, _HE_ was getting examined by doctors, and likely treated like an emperor. He hoped this kunoichi knew what she was doing. He’d not get away with a fine this time.

“Until we are able to find a replacement for Sasuke Uchiha, your team has been dissolved,” The last remaining ANBU stated, not even mentioning Naruto, clearly not caring about him, “Who is the kunoichi?”

“My name is Yukimaru. I am part of an observation team concerning ongoing concerns with Konohagakure’s activities...” She stated, “Already, I have found issues. Since when was the person who stopped the traitor made an unperson and arrested, while the traitor given the best of medical care and acknowledged? As far as I know, any traitor would be declared a nuke-nin until he is questioned about his reasons,”

“Currently, due to unforeseen circumstances, we cannot confirm he even was a traitor, while the other...” The ANBU stated, almost spitting the next word, “...person is being brought in for questioning concerning several cases where he breached village law, and may well be executed by the end of the day...”

What Kakashi read that as was ‘_Legally, We’re required to consider the good guy a monster who should be destroyed, while the same people would kiss the feet of Sasuke to get him to stay, __and refuse to accept he is a traitor until Naruto has already been put to death...__’_

"I will be looking into these laws. Expect to hear from me in the very near future, especially if I do not have a transcript from your village guards stating the reason he went ronin..." She declared, following not just the book, but the fine print of the book, by requesting literally the case files that allowed them to ignore the law.

"We will have the information to you by the end of the day, including the results of our questioning of the other ninja..." The man stated. He was stretching the truth just enough to look like he was obeying general laws, when the entire group just spat on them. He knew that, likely, by the time 'Yukimaru' got her information, Naruto would be in a very hostile courtroom.

Once the ANBU were out of earshot, Haku turned towards Kakashi, her mask breaking apart as it was revealed to be an ice construct, for him to look surprised at seeing a face he’d last seen looking very dead. And very male.

“Haku Yuki, or even my former alias, Haku Momochi, would cause even more ANBU to come down on us...” She stated, “Yukimaru is a codename that is in the bingo book, with my picture, with no village affiliation, at the moment anyway. The nature of Yukimaru will be explained when we have dealt with these monsters...”

Kakashi nodded, understanding, joining Haku as they discreetly followed the ANBU who had taken Naruto away, taking him into a large building just off from the meeting hall. He was soon joined by Tsunade, who had also noticed the unusual ANBU movements, who told him that she had Shizune dealing with a sudden influx of superfluous reports and anomalous complaints. Clearly they didn’t want people who dealt with Naruto normally in that building, and that this was the culmination of not weeks, but years of scheming. He then realised something else. If they didn't hurry, the full stop on the report for Haku would be Naruto's execution time.

Naruto looked at the grim faced old men who stood observing him in what seemed to be a courtroom, with only the old men in the room and himself. This was not a court of his peers. This was far from it. This was a court who’d only accept one judgement… Guilty, and they were just considering how much of. And he didn't have a clue why.

“Naruto Uzumaki, You have been found in breach of several laws of the village, including that you have wilfully stolen funds from members of Konoha’s civilian and ninja population for your own use, have claimed the position of ninja without prior approval or completing the academy, and therefore, have also illegally been entered into the Chunin Exams, being below the required aptitude level...” One of the men, sitting as both the judge and prosecutor, stated, “For some of these, we will be dismissing Kakashi Hatake, who was already facing charges of gross ineptitude within this august body,”

“Can you explain the first one? About the money?” Naruto asked, curious. He kept his books up to date, even doing his accounts _ahead_ of schedule, based on mission projections, and was only using money he’d earned quite rightfully, and it was signed off on by either Sarutobi or Tsunade. He’d not stolen anything.

“Two days ago, due to the latter findings, which were done in absentia due to you failing to answer the summons the day before, we sent out an urgent request to your home for the immediate repayment of all mission pay, due to the fact that you had no right to that money as a non-accredited ninja of the leaf,” One of the village’s accountants stated, “When we did a check of your available known assets, even after selling your apartment, we were unable to recoup the funds required.”

“I wasn’t even in the village three days ago!” Naruto snapped, “How was I meant to know you were going to audit me while I was on a mission!?”

There was then a commotion outside, followed by Tsunade, Kakashi and Haku entering.

“You weren’t… The audit was a legally fabricated lie, to allow them to seize everything you owned before they went for the jugular,” Tsunade stated, “Yukimaru, since they were planning on fast-tracking something you'd already requested a delay on, I need you to find me Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka and Tenten as soon as possible. So, This is what you were really doing, Takimi. I will not totally object to the accusations of Kakashi’s less than stellar conduct, but dismissal is a bit excessive,”

"My superiors will be very displeased. For me to find out you were not simply questioning him..." Haku declared, "I will gather the Hokage's witnesses, and my report will not be polite,"

Haku disappeared out to get the kunoichi, the ‘judge’, who Tsunade had named as Takimi, looking furious. If Tsunade hadn’t come in when she had, Naruto would be fumbling over the fact he couldn’t have possibly dealt with the audit, and given them his accountancy books… which they’d destroy and claim he had. “What is the meaning of this?” Takimi asked, “You were told to never enter these chambers while they are in session!”

“Except this isn’t like your closed sessions, Takimi! This is a court of elders, which I _am_ expected to preside over, except in very specific cases, which I will allow in this case,” Tsunade snapped, “When we had our meeting, I knew that this was likely to happen, a court case with no chance of the accused to mount any defence, so prepared it for him, using...”

“You also know that in a court action such as this, the evidence must have been submitted to the presiding authority over a month in advance...” Takimi began, ready to effectively nullify her defence, but she smirked, knowing something about the law he was quoting.

“Naruto, did you say earlier you were unaware of the possibility of an audit when you left?” Tsunade asked, “You, as the prosecution, have all the evidence, while Naruto hasn’t even got a clue what’s happening…”

“If you hadn’t arrived, I’d have completely destroyed any kind of defence in minutes, if not seconds...” Naruto admitted, sheepishly, “I didn’t have a clue what was happening, and don't even keep things like what they're asking for to hand. Hell, they didn't even let me go home to pick them up!”

“So Naruto was brought here _without_ the proper month’s notification, and, if you’d gone forward, you likely would paint it to me later that he _was_ amply warned, and dead men tell no tales…” Tsunade declared, “In this case, how it has been done, the only other way you are able to prosecute as quickly as you wish requires the defendant bring evidence at the time of their trial, which means I am within my rights to defend him…”

“What do you mean she’s right?” Takimi gruffly stated as one of the jury pointed out something on a scroll, “OK, You are allowed to defend him. Whoever left that loophole unchecked, please meet with me later so we can discuss why…"

Tsunade knew exactly what he meant. _Next _time they wanted to do something like this, they could make it a closed session with the flimsiest defence. "Our first charge though is the charge of repayment of his mission pay, due to acquiring it under deception...” Takimi declared, Tsunade grinning, shark-like, since she was ready for this part, having noticed the signs.

“There is a catch about that...” Tsunade declared, as her first witness, Ayame, entered with the auditor she used for Ichiraku’s books normally, “Shizune noticed the audit notification pass by my desk, so I had someone you wouldn’t block do one for me. How did _your _audit of Naruto’s accounts go?”

“We checked Naruto’s bills and expenses, and, on the hunch you had, the Kyuubi Repayment Fund...” Ayame stated, “In my case, I can vouch that Naruto often gets cheaper bowls of ramen, as part of a bulk purchase agreement, and was happy to provide the receipts for the auditor,”

“In my case, I found that Naruto’s expenses were rather, shall we put this politely, inflated, to anything up to 500% of the actual value of the object, the difference unable to be accounted for in any books checked, meaning a large amount of any purchase is unlisted funds, for which there is no viable paper trail,” The auditor stated, “Putting it simply, even with the One Koku Stipend, he was being squeezed for every ryo...”

“The One Koku Stipend is a reference to the feudal age’s required one serving of rice per day, and is an independently audited payment to cover rent payments and a mandated percentage of the bills for any ninja who drops below a certain amount of ready funds...” Tsunade stated to Naruto, everyone nodding. The Stipend was completely separate from any ninja-related payments and was done transparently. The amount of the Stipend was classified, under mutual agreement between the leaders of the various countries that used the system.

“This was since, even with that, Naruto was charged for other expenses, some of which were covered by other payment plans already in place, meaning, since even his One Koku Stipend was affected, he had little or no money invested,” The auditor explained, looking over some papers, “The audit here, made by the prosecution, only covered his money invested, and was inadequate over his spending, which missed a severe shortfall that was not acceptable, instead showing he was undoubtedly spending outside his means, due to the earlier quoted inflated figures,”

There was murmurs between the Elders. While they’d not proven he could repay it, they’d proved why he _couldn’t. _“His bank account was closed, and his apartment sold, but we were able to get hold of the documents concerning both… His rent level was well in excess of the area’s standard rent bracket, meaning that the Stipend could not cover his rent, which is highly irregular,” The auditor continued, “Again, this meant, in the case of any audit, Naruto would look like he had squandered his money, since he never seemed to put any of it into the bank, instead being forced to hand large amounts to people like his landlord, including, notably, large portions of his mission pay, which normally would be wholly invested, with many ninja living off the interest...”

The elders winced. The auditor had quite literally torn apart any semblance of showing Naruto was spending money frivolously, by coming up with valid information that showed his massive payments for various things, which they'd made look like he probably bought the most expensive items, were since he was being grossly overcharged. 

“And what of the Kyuubi Repayment Fund? That has no bearing on the case!” Takimi stated, for the auditor to shake his head.

“The empty bank account, you mean? The Fund has been pillaged,” The auditor declared, “There’s not a single ryo in it, and it’s actually in debt by several million ryo, and has been for several months...”

“Well then… I think we need to add a charge of embezzlement...” Takimi stated, for the auditor to cough.

“NOT against my client, since he is charged, transparently, a small amount to pay the Fund, as per an existing agreement, and none of the receipts found for paying out bear his handwriting or signature,"

The elders winced. It was hard to fake handwriting that bad. "I require you to present to me proof, with receipts and photographic evidence of what Naruto did to cause the expense, of all payments made from the Fund, or they have to explain to the village, one-by-one, where the money has gone for _every_ payment. I’m sure the unpaid contractors would _love_ to know what happened to it...” The auditor declared, his grin shark-like. He had them.

“How does their situation factor into this?” The elder attempted, wanting to change the subject quickly.

“Since I could easily offer that their wages are unpaid since the funds we could have allocated in an emergency, due to a bijuu being involved in some of the damage, may well have been embezzled...” The auditor explained, “Or do you want me to figure out the real reason why the money to pay them is frozen, ostensibly due to an unknown accounting glitch, due to apparently the 'signature of the Hokage' requiring it be the one who was in place at the time?”

Their first case was looking to have fallen apart since someone had audited the Kyuubi Repayment Fund, which they’d been fabricating incidents over for years, and any kind of audit would reveal that most of the money was not spent on anything Naruto did or caused, and was actually moved into secret bank accounts intended to be found when Naruto and Tsunade were both gone from the village, as suddenly all the village funds appeared and the village was prosperous because the bijuu was gone. That’s why they _hated_ accountants. They _spotted_ embezzlement as a job.

“Ahem. So, there are some accountancy issues, which may well account for Naruto’s failed audit...” Takimi mused, “We will meet in one month to discuss the repayment charges, after we’ve figured out where most of the money actually went… Now, the next, and more important charge...”

He then stopped as Sakura Haruno walked in rolling her arm, followed by ‘Yukimaru’ and the other kunoichi she’d gone to get. “Lady Hokage, I may have broke the nose of one of the ANBU and the other is currently catatonic,” Sakura stated, “They told us that we had no right to be in here, despite orders by yourself, and, Ahem, I may have done something illegal as a result...”

“Don’t worry, the ANBU in question are under disciplinary action for activities against the orders of the Hokage, so no charges will be made...” Tsunade declared airily, “Takimi, You may continue. The rest of my defence just walked in...”

Takimi swallowed. Naruto’s peers had just walked in, and likely were not going to just take it lying down...


	3. Hijacking The Kangaroo Court

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What they were planning on doing was what I refer to in another story as a Capone, after Al Capone ending up getting his entire raft of criminal convictions brought up during a trial over tax evasion. Naruto would have been arrested for the failed audit, the one chance they had to actually bring charges that would stick, and then the rest of the raft of charges would be prosecuted, with Naruto not able to mount any kind of defence.  
_Of course, they relied on one simple fact. He couldn’t possibly do so. But right now… **He can...**_
> 
> I wish to add that _most_ of what both sides of the case do would be illegal in the common courtroom. Please do not tell me off for breaching the rules of the court. They're already well and truly broken before the trial started.

Takimi settled down as the rest of Tsunade’s defence team sat down, being most of the kunoichi in his year… Oh yes, and Haku, who was intended just in case they needed to use something esoteric.

“Ahem, Naruto Uzumaki, Can you verify for the court whether or not you completed either the written test, target range or basic skills comprehension test?” The head of the council offered. He knew full well, due to various sabotages, some planned, some not, he’d effectively failed all three of them.

“I cannot. I will point out I was marked down rather severely due to an ongoing issue with substandard calligraphy, as well as several of the questions being on information which I had no practical knowledge of...” Naruto stated, for Tsunade to take out a test, handing it to Sakura, the kunoichi descending on the test like vultures as they studied it, to check for what Naruto had said. The latter half was what Tsunade was most irked by. ‘No practical knowledge’ of his own graduation test. Someone's head would roll, and it wouldn't be Naruto's.

“OK, Let’s see… Yes, Naruto, don’t go into seals, your handwriting is indeed terrible...” Sakura began, looking thoughtful as she began to look through the questions, “OK, That question, completely wrong, but Naruto also didn’t do that class, since a prank seal went off on the teacher’s chair and he was kicked out...”

“That happened a lot, much more than I expected...” Ino muttered, looking at the question Sakura was pointing to, before asking, “Hinata, Forest camouflage techniques, Did Naruto mess with the chair that class?”

“It was October 11th, sunny and mild, I arrived early and Naruto was asleep when I got there. He was actually woke up when the prank seal on the chair went off. I found it highly irregular, since he never misses a prank like that...” Hinata stated, “Why do you ask?”

“Wait, He _missed_ his own prank?” Sakura and Ino both stated, realising something. _Naruto hadn’t set the prank at all. _After an hour, where Hinata was proven to have at least observed Naruto’s status at the start of practically every class, they looked towards Takimi and his jury, their expressions neutral, but it could easily be told that they were quietly seething angry.

“We have consulted amongst ourselves on each of the questions where Naruto failed to answer or gave a frankly terrible answer which showed a failure in basic comprehension...” Sakura stated, “In each of those cases, Naruto was not in the class for the entire period of the class, so would have had to self-study, and therefore was more likely to make mistakes. I will note that some of the mistakes are due to recent revisions on the textbooks, which were never given to Naruto, or issued to the library until a week later due to a printing problem...”

“Sakura, Do you remember that talk they did after they reissued the books?” Hinata stated, “Naruto got to class late because of a dispute with his landlord, got to the academy straight after the talk had ended,”

“_Recently, We have had problems with enemy s__pies. Due to this, all training will be done as private study. All textbooks are individually marked, and you will be penalized if someone else is found to be using your textbook..._” Sakura stated, “The security seal was an old design, rather easy to duplicate or modify, but only if you knew what part was the unique mark,”

“It was a pilot program…” Takimi stated, hiding his wince, “An attempt to keep techniques and lessons within the academy… Nothing more...”

“So, Let’s say that someone missed the class due to sleeping in,” Haku stated, “No-one would be permitted to give that student their notes, or help them with any differences done in the newer textbooks?”

“It’s an unfortunate side-effect, Yes...” Takimi declared, “Thankfully, Shikamaru is one of our better students, but that doesn’t matter to this case...”

“Actually, It does, It also happened to also mean that the students were encouraged not to discuss their classes with Naruto, who never got those lessons… meaning changes instituted this year, which included textbooks being regulated and not being issued to the village library, would never get to him either… Fancy that...” Tsunade continued, “Literally, the one person who _missed_ having his new textbooks issued, and I can verify that very easily, also was unable to properly do revision,”

“There were copies for Naruto there, but he was never told the fact on the day, and I presume… Wait a minute. That doesn’t look right...” Sakura began, getting out a small book. Tsunade smiled. She knew that apprenticeship with Shizune for Sakura would come in handy. Thankfully, she’d already graduated out of the types of test that would use that key system.

“Hmm… Ah, here’s the right number key…” Sakura muttered, as she studied the paper again, “Shizune taught me how to read the edges of exam paper pages for faster grading… There’s a set of numbers that gives the weighting of each question. Since we don’t do written exams beyond Chunin, it’s not a problem, and each grade uses a completely different set of grading checks… OK, That’s odd...”

“Get on with it...” Takimi stated, getting annoyed, “All you’ve done is study a test that we already confirmed he failed...”

“Tsunade, do you also have my exam?” Sakura asked, Tsunade taking it out, for her to look at something, “It’s just that more than one of Naruto’s questions have a grade point rating of 0, which doesn’t make sense unless this paper has been tampered with. There’s always a 0-point question, designed to locate traitors and spies, since they can always answer them, because it’s way above what we should know at that point. Let’s see…”

Tsunade frowned as she watched Sakura check the number keys, her expression not pleased.

“Seems like someone may well have doctored his paper,” Sakura explained, “According to my paper’s number key, Naruto barely passed, while, using Naruto’s number key with my own exam, my grade dropped by 25% since there was a frankly surreal amount of grade put on the theoretical questions, which were not my strong point,”

“And I’m not exactly good at them either, especially with classes I missed...” Naruto offered.

“With the rest, a large number of them were basically zeroed out, mostly lessons which were done under Iruka, where he answered them more than satisfactory… Almost like Iruka was singled out by whoever did the number key...” Sakura stated, “Roughly 10% of the grade was even put on the trap question, which both me and Naruto skipped!”

“Number keys match Sakura’s...” Ino stated as Sakura showed her what to look for on her own test, “Secondary verification confirms Naruto’s number key was tampered with. The exam is, on a practical level, invalid, but can be presented as a case for that he did pass the written test, and that Mizuki, who we cannot bring forward, should be imprisoned for a few years longer for tampering with his test. If he wasn’t who did it, we’ll confirm that independently, but he’s already facing a massive sentence, so...”

“You’ll be dealing with the practical test now, I presume. I was observing the targetting range when Naruto’s class was doing their final tests,” Tenten stated as she moved forward, cutting them off before they could interrupt, “There’s this odd chakra pulse used to show an invalid throw. You can’t see it from when you’re throwing, but if you’re observing, a seal flashes red beside the judge if you make contact with a hidden wire. It goes green if the throw is valid. Avoids people over-extending,”

“And why would a student know there’s even a wire there?!” Takimi snapped, already pissed. Oh, the crooked examiner who printed Naruto’s exams thought he was smart, but apparently, _they_ were smarter, actually having someone there who could check the number keys _and_ then they also had someone who was watching the classes with half an ear, so would notice when a prank was faked, to confirm Naruto was denied key information.

“I only know the wire is there since I spend so much time there. I actually string the wire some days, since I usually fire from a longer distance than usual, as the usual range is no longer a challenge...” Tenten admitted sheepishly.

“We were not aware of that.” Takimi stated, thankful Mizuki was an easy scapegoat, since he was also the main instructor during Naruto’s final year.

“Naruto did this really good throw, seal didn’t even flicker on if it was good, Mizuki looked in the direction of the seal, declared ‘Invalid throw’, his body obstructing the view Iruka had of the seal,” Tenten stated, “He kept doing that, only moving aside when Naruto clearly failed the throw, so Naruto just got zero.”

“Preposterous! You cannot keep blaming Mizuki for every single mistake!” Takimi stated, and Ino looked towards Tenten, then asked for a brief recess… They needed something more than just spoken testimony that they’d discount. They needed the Yamanakas.

“What the hell is going on?” The Elders asked Takimi, who looked troubled, “She is calling for an investigation as to why Naruto looks to have been embezzled from rather than us, those kunoichi she called for blew the entire trick with the written test wide open...”

“And she has a very plausible claim about the target range, one that we can easily spin in our favour. Was there any other testers in the area at the time, who could have seen Mizuki block Iruka’s view?” Takimi asked.

“We can fabricate one, depending on the evidence they present… Outright confirm this girl must have seen it wrong,” came the response. Takimi nodded. They were one down, two to go, and the last was a slam dunk. They just needed to deal with very circumstantial evidence.

When they came back in, there were several members of the Yamanaka clan in the room, including the clan elder, Tenten lying on a bed in the middle of the room, Inoichi stood near her head. Takimi wanted to get them out, but Inoichi greeted them as they arrived. He knew his ‘circumstantial’ evidence claim could be invalidated by them.

“We will be using a group technique which will project a memory of, in this case, Tenten’s, in such a way as we can walk around it and observe it. The only things we need to prove is that Mizuki did indeed falsify Naruto’s sloppy aim. Anything else is not for us to judge,” Inoichi stated. Takimi mentally swore as the room changed to a monochrome image of a small observation area just off from the targetting range, giving them a clear view of the exams going on, the past version of Tenten lying with a pair of binoculars in the area, the area outside what she could likely see indistinct, but the examination area being much clearer than it should be, indicating her view.

Inochi had them stand by a spot where a seal array was, pointing out that it was blanked as they prepared to throw, before turning a light colour or dark colour, there being enough time for them to figure out the dark colour was an invalid throw. When Naruto came up, they watched as he took his first throw, which was slightly skewed, but otherwise perfect, hitting the target within the pass zone, the seal already lit up as ‘good throw’, Mizuki’s body being between the observers and Iruka.

“I’m sorry, Naruto, the throw doesn’t count. Repeat the throw,” Mizuki stated, Tsunade holding up a score card, showing one good throw.

Over the following hour, they watched as Naruto got increasingly more tired, and sloppy, Tsunade stopping registering them after the required number of valid shots, but confirming none of what she counted as good shots were actually counted. Mizuki seemed to intentionally have Naruto take much longer than needed so his throws were eventually short or would, at best, hit his opponent’s legs, and the fouls didn’t even need to be faked. The memory then ended, and the Yamanaka left, as Tsunade just looked at the Elders, having proved, without a shadow of doubt, Naruto had passed the practical skills tests.

“We feel that this is acceptable evidence that the score was tampered with, by agents who were proven to be working against Konoha...” Takimi stated, almost between gritted teeth, as Tsunade and Naruto’s classmates late congratulated him on the fact he’d actually got enough successful, good hits that meant Tsunade had amended his score to be at least 80% in both categories.

“No wonder you are so accurate with the Rasengan...” Sakura told him, with genuine praise, “You were already pretty good at ranged combat… Not as good as Tenten, but, if we’d seen that grade before, you’d be the ranged specialist in the team...”

“No-one’s as good as Tenten...” Naruto quipped, “She actually managed to spot tampering...”

“We will also table a suggestion to change the method by which a foul is registered, since the current version is public knowledge...” Takimi offered, before he stated, “Finally, the practical exam...”

“Which was… to produce two or more clones of good integrity,” Tsunade declared, nodding, “I declare the test invalid, due to existing tampering by Mizuki,”

“I will admit openly that the jutsu chosen was one of those Mizuki and his unknown collaborators specifically hampered Naruto’s training in,” Takimi offered, having to forego the usual lies. That they were some of those collaborators wasn’t mentioned.

“We wish to point out that, with his test results, plus Iruka’s own report on the impromptu re-testing in the field, where Naruto used an unconventional, but valid clone jutsu, that he did pass all three parts of the test...” Tsunade stated, Takimi looking over the report to check for a certain comment.

“No sign of the Kyuubi’s chakra...” He read in the notes, swearing mentally. Their thoughts of a slam dunk evaporated with the fact Mizuki had been shown, potentially, to have effectively fabricated Naruto’s entire ‘dead last’ persona through rampant and blatant sabotage, so they could no longer even slightly use the exam at all.

“He also failed the bell test...” One of the jurors offered.

“I wish to point out all three of us did, if you were brutally honest, but Naruto’s treatment was unduly harsh, in that we pretty much abandoned him,” Sakura stated, “Naruto was the first to make an attempt at teamwork, something we both turned down flat, leaving him to use skills which were inadequately trained and supported, meaning Naruto actually did pass the test, but we failed him...”

She sat down, and Takimi winced, before looking towards the advisor.

“Considering the fact that one of the team members is currently being petitioned by myself to be declared a nuke-nin, due to his actions in recent weeks, and the other declared now that she feels that the test failed Naruto...” Tsunade stated, “His showing in the Chunin Exams shows that he was more than capable as a ninja, and that our own testing system should be put on trial long before we prosecute anyone on it’s failures,”

“We will reconvene in one month to handle the charges concerning your special status...” Takimi stated, “As it is, due to the proof that you are a middling to fair ninja, and that the tests were all tampered with to give a false impression of being a poor excuse for one, the charges of embezzlement will be dropped, and we will be looking into reimbursement of all monies owed.”

“As my own repatriations for mistakes made, completely by accident, by the previous Hokage, You will be reclassified within the bingo book as a ranged and trap specialist,” Tsunade stated, “It will be recorded that your impromptu training of the ANBU and your own adjusted grades show that you were misclassified as the ‘weak’ in a weak-strong-strong team dynamic...”

Once they were out of the meeting area, the girls celebrated that Naruto was a more than acceptable ninja, Sakura even admitting, reluctantly, that she’d been completely wrong about him, and that, if Kakashi was still their team leader, he’d be encouraged to work with him as per his new classification.

“Naruto, within three weeks, you’ll not be in Konoha...” Haku whispered to him, as they headed towards Tsunade’s office. The Elders had played their hand, but they’d also proven how low they were willing to go. They were planning, in one month’s time, to use every legal loophole possible to put him to death, and give his bijuu to their own choice of container, if they didn’t let it die. And both of them knew that their choice was likely Sasuke, which would be a disaster in the making...


	4. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, All the conflict, all the battles, 700 chapters of story, and it all ended up boiling down to that there’s a clan of chakra vampires who basically harvest the multiverse of it’s chakra. Thankfully, worries I had with that narrative swerve were unfounded. Neji got killed, rather than Tenten or Hinata, who the editors kept trying to kill from Day 1.  
However, It gives me a perfect antagonist for the story, in that Naruto will face down and stop Kaguya’s clan from getting their precious chakra fruit harvest off his world. I will say that the nature of how Kaguya won would only be **_accelerated_** by the Council’s Law.

Naruto entered the Hokage's office, to see her with a familiar fox sat on top of her hat, trying not to peer down at her, while the woman who said she was his mother was stood nearby. He noticed her glare at him, and he quickly did the handseals for the Oiroke no Jutsu, for her to look at ‘her’ with satisfaction.

"Good, If you'd not done that, we'd be looking for a new Hokage even without what my spies found out..." Tsunade stated, "Once you leave this room, All the current ninja teams will be dissolved, and any ninja will be quietly questioned about any dealings with the council. Any ninja loyal to my position will be given very long-term assignments outside of Konoha that will be done quietly and without any notice given to the civillian population, with orders to remain on assignment for the foreseeable future,"

"So, What exactly is going on?" Naruto asked.

“Shortly before this whole court case mess came up, I was facing a vote of zero confidence from the Fire Daimyo, since I was cutting cheques to pay ninja, while the village repairs were running out of money, and some parts had been put off completely due to no money ever getting to them,” Tsunade stated, “Apparently, according to information that had been provided to the Daimyo, there had been no money budgeted for the village repairs, while the budget for paying ninja was increased to a similar level to what was not paid to the repairs,”

“When actually, The increase in ninja payment budgeting was the natural progression for more ninja doing more missions, and was anything but exponential with the other budget,” The woman offered, “The only reason village maintenance would have no budget at all is if the village accounts were in deficit, which I presume wasn’t the case...”

“It was discovered that the Council were planning to put Danzo or Takimi as the new Hokage. Danzo turned it down flat, for a change,” Tsunade stated, “Once in charge, they would put in a system of lords who would answer to the Hokage, for the short term, and hold power over assigned territories, with all ninja conscripted into the new ‘army’ system, the Kage system effectively dissolved shortly afterwards,”

“Which would send us back into the feudal era from the time of the last coming of the Great Evil, with multiple lords and their armies picking apart the country every day...” Kushina stated, “Thankfully, your need to avoid unlawful persecution, and the destruction of Takimi’s plan to install himself as the leader of Fire Country, and later likely Emperor, coincides with what I came here for. I will be taking you and a hand-picked group to join me in the spirit realm, where you will be trained in your true heritage, then be brought back to deal a decisive blow to those who persecute our kind...”

"More than likely, all the people who go with you will end up similar to you and your mother, but that is why you can't just go that you want to take every single person precious to you, since that would be too large a movement of people... However, I _personally_ will be going with you, since I wish to make one last declaration before I step down as Hokage…" Tsunade stated, the ANBU looking confused, "I name Naruto Uzumaki as the next Hokage of Konohagakure, to begin as Hokage upon his return from his next mission… In the interim period, Konohagakure will be no longer a ninja village,"

A carefully sanitized message got to the council, letting them know only that Tsunade was stepping down, and they whooped with joy and triumph, as they realised she'd caved to their demands.

"As of this day, the council of elders are the sole governing body of Konoha, and the former Hokage's ninja corps are being dissolved, for recruitment as the elders see fit," The messenger read out.

“Clearly she got the message… Prepare the speech about the discovery of the money Tsunade had hidden. Considering her gambling record, we don’t even need to pretend she’d embezzle the village, just fabricate some gambling slips,” Takimi stated, “If she tries to accuse us, well, we have the authority to execute her as the sole government of the village,”

The other council members nodded. Even better, with no _active_ ninja in Konohagakure, there was nothing for Naruto to hide behind when they decided to have him put to death. They already had the fabricated evidence, with little chance of another incident like before, ready to destroy Naruto effortlessly. And Tsunade would shoulder the blame for the lost money, they’d guarantee it.

Naruto scowled at Kushina as she walked ‘her’ through a clothes store, having 'helped' her tweak the Oiroke 'disguise' so she looked like Yumemi's older sister, the younger girl having hidden her tail and ears. Right now, 'Naru' was in a new kimono, with, oddly, stylized bats as the pattern, Yumemi's having prancing foxes. She then noticed Haku in a white kimono with a blue snowflake pattern.

"Excuse me, miss, but I couldn't help noticing..." Naruto stated, for Haku to suddenly bow down.

"I wish to thank you for saving me, Lady K-..." Haku started to say, beginning to bow before she noticed Kushina, who silenced her.

"Have you met my daughter, Naru?" Kushina stated, "Naru, this is Yukimura Kaguya, a yuki-onna and one of my recent new subjects... She is also one of my retainers..."

Naruto mouthed 'Retainer?' while Haku looked sheepish.

"Sorry, My lady..." Haku stated, before adding, in a hushed tone, "And I'll explain everything when we're not in Konoha... Before you ask, Kushina did not give me the mission to rescue you herself, I chose to take the mission without her..."

Naruto watched as Haku fell into line just behind and to the side of Kushina, her expression schooled, Yumemi motioning for Naruto to stand beside her. Anyone who saw the three of them was oddly falling over themselves to serve them, only seeing what was clearly a highly prestigious family. Oddly, the strange tiredness that Naruto had been suffering since she fought Sasuke was gone completely. Once they had finished, Naruto looked at Kushina as the boy-turned-girl looked at the several months worth of clothes, both for a kunoichi and for normal wear, with only unisex or feminine cut outfits.

"So, When am I meant to use all this?" Naruto asked.

"Due to certain biological issues, that I can't explain right now, you will need to spend a long time as a girl... Me, Yumemi and Haku will be fine around you as a boy, but, when you're a girl, for the next few weeks at least, you'll not have any problems..." Kushina explained, "Kurama, the Kyuubi no Yoko, kept me from killing anyone with my true heritage, since it satisfied my needs..."

Naruto looked confused, but something was even more confusing for her. She wasn't hungry, and hadn't been hungry all day, and she couldn’t tell why...

Hinata looked puzzled as she was summoned to a meeting with Tsunade and an unknown red-haired woman, who was talking with her father already. Naruto was sat nearby, looking uncomfortable in what looked to her like a man’s wedding kimono. When she saw him, her eyes popped. She wasn’t expecting it to be _today _that she'd get her dream wedding.

"Why am I here?" He moaned, for Hiashi to look at a nearby branch member, who bundled her into a nearby room, where her wedding kimono was sat, and she was helped into it, before being lead back into the room.

"We are here to witness the union of Hyuuga Hinata with Uzumaki Naruto..." Tsunade announced, and Hinata was surprised that she didn't faint.

"Told you he was draining her..." The red-haired woman told Tsunade, who handed her a bundle of ryo for some reason. She managed to get to the end of the ceremony, but when she kissed Naruto to complete it, she felt herself faint, the one time she had a look of bliss when she did. She didn't even notice Naruto shift into a girl at his mother's prompting, and Tsunade giving her a rapid chakra infusion while Hiashi made sure no-one else was in the room before making himself scarce.

"Thankfully, she didn't get too drained... Just skin-to-skin contact meant it just happened," Tsunade stated, as Kushina suddenly flexed her shoulders, for a pair of wings to unfurl.

"I haven't been totally honest with you... You are a rare incubus," Kushina explained, as Naruto looked confused and slightly stunned, "The reason why I was able to have a child with your father was that the Kyuubi no Yoko's chakra was being constantly drained by me..."

"So, the reason why..." Naruto started.

"When your heritage was asleep, she became focused on you as a form of hero worship. As your heritage was awoken, she was an easy target for your fledgling allure," Yumemi offered, "This meant she just couldn't help but give you her chakra, because she was devoted to you. It's why it's not recommended that succubi take a mortal boy as a husband. Relationships are almost always short with them..."

"And you mistakenly were draining Sakura for that same reason, since you locked onto her as a pretty girl who you'd want to begin a relationship with..." Kushina offered, "Thankfully, you do not have a powerful enough allure to seduce..."

"Something that Shizune told me is that Sakura's chakra levels have been stabilizing at a level which is more suitable for her age and experience levels, and that your accidental draining has given her the kind of fine chakra control that cannot be easily taught," Tsunade stated, "Naruto, you are staying as a girl so that the group that you will be travelling with shall be immune to this side effect of your heritage..."

"What if I don't want to be a succubus?!" Naruto yelled.

"You can't just 'turn off' this part of your biology... You'll kill your wives, and you will be expected to have many, and, unlike me, you don't have Kyuubi's feminine chakra supply, due to a mistake by my husband, in that he was not as experienced with the type of sealing he needed to do, being more good at making very powerful weapons..." Kushina half-grumbled, "In the short term, You'll either have to live as a bisexual girl, and hope that the Kyuubi's chakra holds out, or leave Hinata and Sakura forever, become a recluse,"

Naruto's response was unprintable. Neither choice was acceptable. But the fact the Kyuubi was all _masculine_ chakra was probably why it was always so angry.

"And if I was to become a succubus?" Hinata asked, "W-W-Would..."

"Naruto would be able to sleep with you, since you'd just exchange mana endlessly..." Yumemi mused, "Although, I almost want you to become a kitsune..."

"Why?" Hinata asked, for Yumemi to poke her on the nose, and she suddenly had a white tail, and Naruto shifted back, and pulled his wife's head into his lap and began stroking her.

"Oh yes, this is a good reaso..." Hinata half-yawned, before falling asleep.

Ever since Naruto’s failed prosecution, Sakura had been working in the hospital assisting Shizune, with the surprising help of Haku Yuki, whose appearance alive had surprised her. As well as the fact she was a girl, and that she bore no ill will over killing her previous master. As long as they figured out why he wanted to kill the Mizukage.

“Sakura Haruno? You have been recalled back to ninja duty as part of an escort mission,” A female member of ANBU stated, “You are to report to Tsunade immediately...”

Three things later stood out about that request. First, the ANBU had a fox mask, which was banned by one of Takimi’s laws. Second, Haku had also prepared to leave even before the ANBU had spoke… and the last, which she didn’t notice at the time, was that he didn’t mention Tsunade as the Hokage...

When Sakura arrived in Tsunade's office from the hospital, she found herself stood with an annoyed looking girl that was dressed in a jacket and jeans, the kind of style used by some of the girls from the Land Of Iron, as well as a woman dressed in a dated formal kimono with a white-furred fox stole. Tsunade was stood with them, as well as Hinata. She wasn't to know that Naruto had offered lots more lap time, whatever form of spirit she became, a new favourite pastime.

"You are to act as the field medic for myself as I go on a long-term mission..." Tsunade announced, "You and Hinata are to discuss who will be your final team member, then meet us at Konohagakure’s boundary..."

"I nominate Tenten, She helped Naruto out when he needed someone to stand up for him, and I am sure that she is working in Konoha's best interests..." Hinata offered. Sakura considered this, and nodded. The girl looked thoughtful, and nodded herself. What Sakura didn’t know was that the girl was mentally appraising her and finding that, yes, she could accept a life with Tenten as well.

"Probably would end up something similar to a jiangshi, due to her ethnic background..." She didn't hear the woman mutter.

"Further details of this mission will be given when we are outside of the village limits," Tsunade finished, then the group broke up.

As far as the council knew, as they voted in Takimi as the leader of Konohagakure, when they heard of the exiting Hokage's mission, there was nothing to link this mission with the upcoming court action against Naruto, and they were busy creating a rock-solid prosecution case using every corrupt member of the village's various government organizations. They didn't even bat an eyelid as the girl from seemingly the Land Of Iron was observed, and decided to be no-one dangerous...

None of them even thought that Naruto might have managed to get a concession to dress unisex as much as possible as part of her forced gender change.

Tenten looked confused as she noticed Hinata and Sakura approach her, having been trying to figure out where her team had gone, Hinata having a white fox on her shoulders that she was feeding berries to.

"Did you hear? Something's got everyone riled. Gai and Lee haven't been seen all day, and Neji pretty much told me that I'd best find some relatives to live with for a while…" Tenten stated, “Course, the fact I don’t _have_ relatives didn’t cross his mind...”

"My father has gone underground..." Hinata added, "He knows that the announcement coming at the end of the week will get him assassinated..."

"What the hell?!" Tenten asked, "It's like someone basically declared martial law..."

"They did... I saw the unedited information gleaned from some spies who managed to get information on what's happening..." Sakura stated, her tone grim, not mentioning said spies were getting fed fruit nearby, "At the end of the month, Naruto was going to have his bijuu removed as a way to kill him, and some of it’s chakra, at least two tails, will be given to Sasuke Uchiha, and the rest effectively sold to the highest bidder within any ninja who don't leave by then..."

"After that, A new government will be established by the village council, who are planning to promote Sasuke as the leader of their army," Hinata added, "The Clan Restoration Act will be amended to allow for the effective extinction of the Uchi-..."

Tenten's face went pale, as Sakura stopped Hinata, mouthing 'Really?' and she nodded.

"Part of a kunoichi's training will require that the teacher extol the virtues of being an Uchiha bride, and later one of his children to those born from the CRA, so that, and I quote, 'Within 20-30 years, the noble Uchiha clan, our police for many years, slain by the orders of the ninja who betray us, will return to their former glory'..." Hinata finished, before Tenten and Sakura threw up, Sakura looking at Hinata.

"We have to save I..." She began, for Hinata to cut her off.

"The biggest gossip in the village? We need no-one to know what's happening, for fear that..." Hinata stated, then, considering something, handed her a scroll, "Wait, Maybe we should let the biggest gossip know _some_ of it… Give Ino this..."

Sakura glanced at the scroll, smirking, before rolling it back up. This wasn’t the whole truth, but if Ino leaked this, it would have every girl in the village deciding to get out of there. Even the fan girls didn't like the Clan Restoration Act, and for it to be refocused in such a narrow manner...

"Anyway, we have been chosen as an escort team for the Hokage and her chosen successor," Sakura continued, "Further details will be given in the field. Our teams have been temporarily dissolved, and our new team is designated Team 1 in the new assignments,"

Tenten nodded, and headed off to prepare for the mission, noticing that various members of Konoha's recent graduate teams were notably preparing to leave, with several ANBU making sure it was as discreet as possible. Only the Yamanaka family weren't preparing to leave, but she knew exactly why. She headed into her apartment, sealing everything she could into scrolls, even sealing several of the scrolls into other scrolls. By the time that she finished, her apartment was completely bare, it's entire contents in the huge scroll that was her trademark. She knew that she needed everything, and doubted that, whoever the Rokudaime Hokage was, she'd need to make sure they survived as much as the Godaime Hokage...


End file.
